Mortgage Fraud: Schemes, Red Flags, and Responses

Journal of Forensic & Investigative Accounting Vol. 6, Issue 2, July - December, 2014

Mortgage Fraud: Schemes, Red Flags, and Responses

Nicole Stowell, J.D., MBA Carl Pacini, Ph.D, CPA Martina Schmidt, Ph.D Kathryn Keller *

Mortgage fraud has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Mortgage

fraud is a substantial drain on the U.S. economy as estimated annual losses from

mortgage fraud exceed $10 billion during the last four years (ACFE, 2013). Such fraud

is an attractive playing field for white-collar criminals due to the many types of mortgage

fraud, its complexity, and the lack of effective government regulation and private sector

self-policing. When mortgage fraud occurs, one or more parties knowingly make

deliberate misstatements, misrepresentations, or omissions during the mortgage lending process.1

Mortgage fraud allows perpetrators to reap substantial profits through illicit

activity that presents a relatively low risk of getting caught. Mortgage fraudsters include

licensed and non-licensed mortgage brokers, lenders, appraisers, underwriters,

accountants, lawyers, realtors, developers, investors, builders, financial institution

employees, homeowners, and homebuyers. Organized crime groups and terrorists have

been linked to mortgage fraud. Mortgage fraudsters utilize their experience in mortgage-

related industries to conduct numerous and myriad schemes.

Mortgage fraud schemes often involve falsification of bank statements and

deposit verifications, illegal transfers of property, production of fraudulent tax returns

* The authors are, respectively, Instructor at University of South Florida ? St. Petersburg, Associate Professor at University of South Florida ? St. Petersburg, Instructor University of South Florida ? St. Petersburg, and Candidate for Juris Doctor, 2016, at Stetson University College of Law. 1 Mortgage fraud is not a process of selling properties for profit after improvements have been made nor is it the same as predatory lending (Carswell and Bachtel, 2007).

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and legal documents, and other fraudulent activities. Victims include individuals from across a demographic range, lending institutions, neighborhoods, and the economy as a whole (due to higher default rates, higher mortgage prices, and decreased availability of mortgage credit).

Given the severe impact of mortgage fraud on the economy and its role in the recent financial crisis, it is incumbent upon the public and private sectors to combat such fraud more effectively. A need exists for bank examiners, internal and external auditors, forensic accountants, financial executives and regulators to understand the inner workings of mortgage fraud schemes and the steps that can be taken by the public and private sectors to achieve detection, deterrence, and prevention.

The purposes of this article are to explain types of mortgage fraud schemes and their red flags or warning signs and offer common sense steps that can be implemented by federal and state regulators and private industry professionals, including forensic accountants and others, to detect, deter and prevent mortgage fraud.

This paper is divided into three sections. First, we provide a detailed overview of various types of mortgage fraud schemes and their warning signs. Second, we discuss the lack of government response to and the negative effects of mortgage fraud on children, neighborhoods, and others. Third, we cover the responses of the public and private sectors to mortgage fraud. In this third step, we also highlight the ways that private industry professionals can assist in the fight against mortgage fraud.

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Journal of Forensic & Investigative Accounting Vol. 6, Issue 2, July - December, 2014

COMMON MORTGAGE FRAUD SCHEMES While individual types of schemes exist, the FBI categorizes mortgage fraud into two broad categories: "fraud for property" schemes and "fraud for profit" schemes (FBI, 2010a). Fraud for property is most often committed by home buyers attempting to purchase a personal residence. Typically, fraud for property occurs when a loan applicant materially misrepresents or omits information with the intent to deceive the lender into lending money. Borrowers who misrepresent employment history, income history, and undisclosed debt to get financing are committing fraud for property. In contrast, fraud-for-profit schemes are used as a way to make money. For these schemes to be successful, the perpetrator needs assistance from someone on the "inside" that knows the industry. These industry insiders are lawyers, bank officers, appraisers, mortgage brokers, real estate agents, settlement agents, and loan originators. The fraudulent activities in these schemes include appraisal fraud, fraudulent flipping, straw buyers, and identity theft (FinCEN, 2006). Individual Scheme Types There are many different types of individual mortgage fraud schemes, such as: a) foreclosure rescue, b) home equity conversion, c) loan modification, d) illegal property flipping, e) builder bailout, f) equity skimming, g) straw buyers, and h) short sales. Oftentimes, various combinations of these schemes are implemented in fraudulent transaction(s).

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a) Foreclosure Rescue Schemes

Journal of Forensic & Investigative Accounting Vol. 6, Issue 2, July - December, 2014

Foreclosure rescue schemes involve foreclosure rescue con artists seeking out

homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments and are facing potential

foreclosure. The scammer convinces the homeowner that his/her house can be saved from

foreclosure with the promises of paying off the delinquent mortgage and helping the

homeowner stay in the property. The scammer often solicits the distressed homeowner

via a mailing promising short-term financing from an investor who will pay off the

delinquent mortgage. Often, the distressed homeowner is told he or she can stay in the

residence and make rent payments to the alleged investor. When the homeowner makes

rent payments to the scammer, the homeowner is doing so with the belief that he/she will

be able to buy back the home after a certain amount of time has passed. The homeowner

may also be persuaded to transfer his/her ownership interest in the property as collateral.

The scammer promises that the homeowner can continue to live in the home and

repurchase it later or promises the homeowner new financing. If the scammer promises

new financing, the scammer must use a straw buyer (someone who will qualify for

financing). The scammer convinces the straw buyer to apply for a mortgage based on

misrepresentations that he/she is purchasing an investment property with an existing

tenant (the distressed homeowner).

What happens to the homeowner in these foreclosure rescue schemes? The straw

buyer, who now has title to the property, typically defaults on the "new financing"

mortgage causing the home to go into foreclosure. Ultimately, many homeowners

affected by this scheme are evicted and lose all equity.

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An example of a foreclosure rescue scheme involving two Florida residents

occurred in 2012. Lisa Wright and Cathy Saffer received prison sentences of 66 and 60

months, respectively, for defrauding mortgage lenders and homeowners (U.S.

Department of Justice, 2012). According to trial documents, Wright and Saffer, who

operated Foreclosure Solution Specialists ("FSS"), told homeowners who were at risk of

foreclosure that FSS could help them stay in their homes. Wright and Saffer

misrepresented to victims that their homes would be sold to investors and that after the

sale, they could continue living in their home with the opportunity to re-purchase the

house at a later date. The defendants arranged for straw buyers, whom were paid to

participate in the fraud, to purchase the homes through a sham sale. In addition to the

straw buyers, Florida C.P.A. Barrington Coombs, was paid to write a sham letter to verify

false information for different loan applications. The defendants were able to pocket the

money from the equity in the homes. Not surprisingly, the houses went into foreclosure

and the victims lost all equity, while being evicted.

Various red flags or signs often appear in foreclosure rescue schemes. Below is a

list of indicators of this fraud scheme:

The borrower is advised by the foreclosure specialist to avoid contact with the servicer;

The borrower receives a purchase offer which is greater than the listing price; The borrower states that he or she will be renting back from the new owner; The borrower executes a quitclaim deed to a third party on the advice of a

foreclosure specialist; Signature variations exist between the borrowers signature on the loan

origination documents and the short sale contract; The borrower has recently updated contact information; and The borrower states he or she is sending mortgage payments to a third party

(Fannie Mae, 2009).

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